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CCSSO Concludes Successful Legislative Conference
CCSSO convened forty chief state school officers, their senior staff, and many business and education leaders March 8–10, at the 2009 Legislative Conference. Forty-seven states were represented in all. The conference focused on conversations about current and emerging education policy issues, particularly the new political and budgetary landscape states are faced with. The most popular issue was—and still is—the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that will channel $100 billion in new money into the public education system.
The conference began with MSNBC Senior Political Correspondent Tucker Carlson, an engaging keynote speaker who offered his perspective on the change in Washington, and the conference ended with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and his senior staff discussing both big picture and more discrete issues as they relate to the initial ARRA guidance released by the Department on March 6. Between the bookends, conference participants had an opportunity to learn from and talk with heads of national education associations, senior congressional staff, and other leading state and national education experts, on everything from the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to the Title I Regulations that were finalized in the fall of 2008.
The capstone of the conference was an unexpected visit from President Barack Obama, who assured chiefs of his Administration’s commitment to partnering with them to bring education reform. This state-federal partnership that the President referenced has been a priority of chiefs and CCSSO since at least October 2006 as highlighted in CCSSO’s ESEA Reauthorization Policy Statement. For more information on the 2009 Legislative Conference, meeting materials, and streaming videos, please click here.
Headlines
Association & Related News
CCSSO Hosts Webinar on "Linking Surveys of Enacted Curriculum Tools to State Strategies and Initiatives to Improve Teaching and Learning"
Advocacy in Action
President Signs FY09 Omnibus Appropriations Bill
Education Newsbriefs
"Del. Joins Education Reform Effort" (DE)
"State Board Aims to Create System to Track Teachers, Students" (MD)
"Study: Physically Fit Texas Students More Likely to Do Well on Achievement Tests" (TX)
"Intel Science Talent Search 2009 Winners Announced"
Association & Related News
CCSSO Hosts Webinar on "Linking Surveys of Enacted Curriculum Tools to State Strategies and Initiatives to Improve Teaching and Learning"
By Rolf Blank
CCSSO is offering a webinar, Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 2 PM ET, to brief state education leaders on the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC), an online, web-based data tool being used in many states and hundreds of schools. The webinar is designed to meet the specific interests of state education leaders responsible for programs involving school improvement and technical assistance to low-performing schools and districts.
Over 30 states have used the SEC to analyze instructional practices and curriculum in their schools and districts. The SEC data helps educators to diagnose instructional practices; identify gaps in instruction and misalignment with standards; address questions of opportunity to learn for specific student populations; focus needs for professional development; and evaluate change over time.
The webinar will focus on three topics: (1) information about the SEC and the tools for state educators; (2) how SEC tools can help build state education agency and capacity for leadership with low performing schools; and (3) key questions for linking SEC to state initiatives and state-district partnerships.
Click here to register for the webinar on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 2 PM ET. For more information about SEC please click here, or contact Rolf Blank at rolfb@ccsso.org.
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Advocacy in Action
President Signs FY09 Omnibus Appropriations Bill
Last week Congress approved and President Obama signed the Fiscal Year 2009 omnibus appropriations bill. Federal agencies were operating under a continuing resolution since fall 2008, including the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Passage of the bill means the following for our key education priorities in FY09: $65 million for statewide longitudinal data systems; $14.4 billion for Title I; $545 million for school improvement grants; $2.9 billion for teacher quality state grants; $269 million for Enhancing Education Through Technology state grants; $97 million for the Teacher Incentive Fund; and $410 million for state assessments. With the FY09 appropriations process complete, Congress will now focus its energies on the FY10 budget that President Obama recently released, including $46.7 billion for ED. More information on the budget blueprint can be found here.
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Education Newsbriefs
Del. Joins Education Reform Effort
Wilmington News Journal (DE) (03/11/09) Price, Jennifer
Delaware recently joined the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, a multi-state consortium that seeks to assist states in launching pilot programs to reform their education systems and encourage states to share effective strategies. The participating states believe the consortium might improve their ability to obtain federal stimulus funds. Delaware Education Secretary Lillian Lowery says, "It's always been a challenge for Delaware to get national funding around reform efforts because we are such a small state." She adds, "Being a part of a consortium allows us opportunities we otherwise wouldn't find." Delaware's planned reforms include implementing a computer-adaptive growth-model assessment, providing additional compensation for teachers in at-risk schools, and increased flexibility for the use of state education funds. Arizona, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Utah also belong to the consortium. For more information on the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, click here.
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State Board Aims to Create System to Track Teachers, Students
Baltimore Sun (03/11/09) Bowie, Liz
With about 21 states across the nation establishing a regional database to track the performance of teachers and students that move from school to school and state to state, Maryland plans to use federal money to establish its own system to assign students a number to track their progress. However, the state would need an additional $6 million to expand the database to track teachers. Maryland Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick and the state board of education will discuss what steps are necessary to obtain additional funding. Grasmick also notes a tracking system for teachers would provide a wealth of information about teachers' educational backgrounds to help the state identify the programs that produce the best teachers.
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Study: Physically Fit Texas Students More Likely to Do Well on Achievement Tests
Dallas Morning News (TX) (03/09/09) Stutz, Terrence
A new study by the Texas Education Agency looks at the yearly physical fitness assessments of more than 2.4 million public school students and indicates that physically fit students behave better, perform better on achievement tests, and have good attendance records. More exercise translates into more efficient brain function and improved learning ability, according to the study. State Education Commissioner Robert Scott says, "Texas is the first state to require an annual physical fitness assessment of public school students. [The] research results show that improving our children's physical fitness can have positive results not only for the children, but also for the schools as well." Legislation is being considered by state lawmakers to require middle school students to take two more semesters of physical education, pushing the total to six semesters.
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Intel Science Talent Search 2009 Winners Announced
Intel Press Release (03/10/09)
Intel Corp. announced the winners of its Intel Science Talent Search on March 10. Top three winners, Eric Larson of Oregon, William Sun of Missouri, and Philip Streich of Wisconsin earned scholarships totaling $100,000, $75,000, and $50,000, respectively. Intel Science Talent Search is part of the Society for Science & the Public and generated more than 1,600 applicants this year. Of the original applicants, 300 were chosen in January as semifinalists and 40 were selected as finalists who came to Washington, D.C., to compete for the top 10 awards. The aim of the program is to have students take on challenging scientific questions and develop the skills to solve future dilemmas. Those not earning a place in the top 10 will receive scholarships of $5,000 each and a new laptop. For a complete list of the winners, click here.
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